The Honda booth spotlights the Civic
Honda displayed three Civics at the AUTOMOBILE COUNCIL held at Makuhari Messe from 12-14 April 2024. The first generation RS, the Civic that competed in the All Japan Touring Car Championship, and the Civic RS prototype scheduled for launch this autumn were on display. Here are some of the old and new Civics.
The RS, with its quick handling, was a pleasure to drive
The Automobile Council took place from 12-14 April 2024. At the Honda stand, which featured a large deep red board with a prominent sign with the HONDA logo and the three letters ‘DNA’ in white, three Civics were on display under the MT Sport theme, where visitors could operate the manual transmission (MT) and enjoy sporty driving.
Launched in 1972, the Civic is Honda’s longest-standing brand, and the current model, introduced in 2021, is the 11th generation. The 1975 Civic RS, which was an addition to the first generation model, the race version of the third generation model, which became champion in 1987, and the prototype of the current Civic RS, due to be launched in autumn 2024, were on show.
The first Civic RS, which appeared in 1974, was based on the sporty GL model and was fitted with twin carbs and a new camshaft, increasing power from 69 hp to 76 hp. At the same time, the GL’s 4-speed manual transmission was replaced by the Civic’s first 5-speed manual transmission, and the suspension was strengthened. The chassis performance was also improved, with the wheels increased in size to 13 inches.
The maximum power output of 76 hp from 1.2 liters is a mediocre figure today, but it was class-leading ‘high power’ at the time. The greatest beauty of the car was its lightweight, 695 kg for the two-door (705 kg for the three-door), and its compact size (overall length 3650 mm x overall width 1505 mm x overall height 1320 mm).
By the way, RS does not stand for racing sports, but for road sailing. There is a theory that the name was given in consideration of the Ministry of Transport (at the time), but I have heard from Hiroshi Kizawa, LPL (Large Project Leader), that they had developed a model suitable for being named Racing ……. I personally rode it when I was a student for two extra years and at the beginning of my working life when I was still in the student mood, and I remember that the quick handling was the best feeling I ever had.
When I was still a student, Jun Imamiya asked me to drive him and Kunimitsu Takahashi to the hotel when we covered an F2 race at the Western Japan Circuit. That alone was very exciting, but Kunimitsu-san asked me to drive for a bit, so I moved to the front passenger seat and gave him an impression of how “Kuni-san” drove from the side seat. Kunimitsu-san said to me, “Honda cars are fun to drive, aren’t they?” I replied slightly hoarsely, “Yes, ……”, a memory I will never forget. Undoubtedly, this was one car that realized the eternal justice of ‘lightweight and compact’.
